Cave Art and Hands Shading

Cave Art

Cave paintings are paintings on cave walls and ceilings during the prehistoric age (before written history). The earliest known cave paintings date back to over 32,000-40,000 years ago. The purpose of cave art paintings is not known. Most areas where the art is found are not places that people lived. They are often found in places that are not easy to get to when going deep into a cave.

Nearly 350 caves have now been discovered in France and Spain (and even here in the United States) that contain cave art from prehistoric times. The most common themes in cave paintings are large wild animals, such as bison horses, lions, bears and deer. All cave art is made up of animals, humans and signs or symbols (such as tracings of human hands as well as abstract patterns, called finger flutings). It is shared that an 8 year old footprint was found near drawings in a cave. Its suspected that this 8 year old was the artist and communication in caves grew from this idea!

Many of the paintings were drawn with red, yellow and black colored stones and charcoal. Sometimes the outline of the animal was cut into the stone and traced first. Some scientist believe that cave art is there to help with hunting magic, meant to increase the number of animals a person or tribe would catch. Many times the hands are found together and not just one hand but many.

Project Description:

Step 1: Students will be given brown paper which they could wrinkle if they wish. They will also be given darker oil pastels (black, brown, red, white, and yellow...earth colors) and the 1st thing we would like them to do is outline their own hand(s) on the paper with a dark color of choice. See Step 1 below.

Step 2: Then, add more oil and chalk around the OUTSIDE of the hand and blend with fingers. See Step 2 below

Step 3: Finally, students will draw with dark oils or crayons a cave art picture or symbol drawing in their hands. Please try to only draw animals or humans or symbols.

Place your label on the lower right hand corner of the back of your art work. Be creative and have fun!

Parent Helpers:

Please return all supplies to the art cart. Thank you for all your help today, without you Art Smart would not be a successful program!

Supplies List:

• Brown paper,
• Oil pastels of black, brown, red, yellow, or white
• Name tags,
• Cave painting symbol sheets (about 2 per table)
• Book: The First Drawing by Mordicai Gerstein
• These can be hung as soon as they are finished.